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IS this the proper action to take

5K views 31 replies 23 participants last post by  Majja13 
#1 ·
My beloved little guy has learned he is tall enough to knock over the kitchen garbage can. So when I catch him jumping up on it I give him a quick ear pinch and tell him no. I usually continue the pressure until all four are back on the ground. Is this the correct way to break this behavior. He just started doing this last night.

Thanks
Matt
 
#2 ·
I think the quickest fix is to get yourself some mousetraps. When he accidentally hits the trap it will go off and the noise will scare him. you can tell him "no" and then engage him in proper behavior. You didn't say how old this pup is, however it sounds like a young one, and I don't want to set up a negative for force fetch later on.
 
#3 ·
If you are going to FF with an ear pinch ,I would make some other correction for getting in the can...like a swat on the rump with a rolled up paper and a firm GET OUT OF THERE ...Steve S
 
#5 ·
Matt,
When I first read this, I just rolled my eyes and counted to ten before responding. I really, really, really, really hope you are not fishing.....:confused:

What is the purpose of ear pinch? Why on earth would you go through all of that, when a simple verbal somewhat harsh NO would of convey the message?

Please don't do that again.....You have the knowledge I think, let's use it right for it's intended purpose. OK:)
Thanks
 
#6 ·
Damn dude who got your panties in a wad. I agree not to pinch his ear for that but at least he asked if he should be doing something else. Stupid comments like yours are just rude and pointless. I rolled my eyes and counted to 10 before posting also!
 
#8 ·
Im here to learn and help, im sure not here to be a douche and post stupid rude comments for no reason. You must be an old grouch dog in heat since many of your comments tend to be rude. Feel free to pm me if youd like to argue more I dont want to clutter up this guys post arguing with someone who obviously is just looking for an argument while he can hide behind a computer.
 
#11 ·
You have gotten some good suggestions here. I would like to add that in addition to all the good things that have been mentioned that crate training would be a great thing for you to be doing right now. Pup can't get in trouble in the crate and I would suggest he be there at all times when he is not getting your undivided attention. That alone will solve a lot of your issue.
 
#12 ·
If you figure it out, come fix my 5 1/2 year old BLM's garbage habit would ya? ;)
 
#13 ·
garbage cans with lids work wonders unless there's something really special in the can. from personal experience, I would also suggest you not put your toddler's diapers in any can the pup can get too. They are like candy to dogs, and very dangerous. Our chessie lost interest when he realized he couldn't get in the can, so there is hope in sight!
 
#14 ·
Can you put a tab on his collar and just give it a quick small jerk and say no and then engage the pup in something positive? Teach him to sit immediately after he puts his feet on the ground and give him a treat.
 
#15 ·
Put the dang garbage can in the kitchen cabinet under the sink and save yourself a lot of grief over a) picking up garbage all the time and b) the vet bills (and possibly the urn for his ashes) when your puppy eats something dangerous.
 
#16 ·
I had this problem with one of my dogs and a great one shot solution.

I caught the little goof in the act- head in the can with only his tail sticking out. I quietly came from behind and grabbed the liner and had him trapped. I never made a sound, but spun him around on the floor as fast as I could for five or six turns then shoved him to slide across the kitchen floor into a wall. Not enough to hurt him, but to give a sudden stop.

Then I backed quietly out of the kitchen and waited a few seconds to come back in to find a dizzy puppy who never touched another trash can the rest of his life. Until the day he died, I think he believed that trash can attacked him.
 
#31 ·
I LOVE this! Too bad you can't fix a counter surfing problem like this. Still working on it...he won't do it when I'm around but the minute I step out of the house, tables and counters are his first order of business... GRRRRRR
 
#17 · (Edited)
Matt,

If you leave an eleven week old Pup unattended with access to food and mischief you'll get what you got (and more!) ;-) ; he's still in the socialisation phase and will examine everything that he comes across. It's all part of his learning about the world and nothing much to worry about, and there will no doubt be other behaviours he will have to be corrected on.

First, prevention being better than cure, as has been suggested make sure that he can't reach whatever he's after that you don't want him to get into. You know the house layout better than we do, so that should be easy.

Correcting him need not, and should not be harsh; he's only a puppy and has very limited understanding and reasoning powers, so the ear pinch won't mean as much to him as a more mature dog who understands that he can turn off physical pain by doing something. All he knows is that his ear hurts. There are all sorts of strategies for altering behaviour, and punishment, usually the first resort isn't particularly effective and sometimes makes things more difficult. For example, slapping his bum could go wrong on you; he might very easily become hand shy and seek to dodge out of the way when he sees a sudden hand movement.

I don't ear pinch at any phase of training and as above, don't think it's appropriate for a puppy anyway. The only aversives I use on youngsters are a verbal "no" spoken very low down and growly, and maybe a gentle scruff shake. It's close enough what his Mom would give him in the nest and easier for him to accept.

To develop what JusticeDog suggested, you might consider teaching him a behaviour that is incompatible to bad stuff, something simple he can do, that he finds fun and rewarding but which he can't do with his schnozzle in the trash bin! A simple "sit" followed by a treat and lots of fuss would be handy, as is an equally simple "place" command, where he can scamper to a certain spot and again have a treat and cuddles. That way he learns what "no" means, a valuable lesson in itself, and the behaviour is stopped.

So the sequence would be .... bad behaviour begets a "No". Pup pauses and is then given his "incompatible" cue. Pup plays his part of the game and is rewarded.

Eug
 
#19 ·
I would put your trash in a secure place behind closed doors. Personally, we have a trash compactor...........man those things are GREAT. Outside we went to a dumpster. Keeps dogs out and bears out, for the most part. Don
 
#20 ·
MY old JRT, Russell, had a garbage habit when I got him.

I set him up. Left the lid open with something tempting inside (not that the lid ever stopped him, but I wanted to make my correction easy) and stepped around the corner. When he jumped up to knock it over, I came in behind him, stuffed him in the garbage can, shut the lid, and rolled it across the kitchen floor a few times. (not unlike the old time deer breaking method). And that was the end of his dumpster diving.
 
#21 ·
My kitchen trash is in cupboard under sink with a kid-proof latch on door (one dog discovered she could break in at age 4!), recycle bin in kitchen closet, all bathrooms have waste baskets with lids. This way everything and everybody is pretty safe and secure and one less thing for me to nag dogs about!
 
#22 ·
Some of these fixes are hilarious-especially yours Sharon Potter! :)
Not been mentioned yet but helpful with this sort of thing - Take a coke can ,put some pennies in it-tape the top shut. When you catch him into something like trash, counter hopping,stealing,etc.. throw the can at him -not to hit him- but scare him . It will hit the floor by him and startle him while you shout NO-or whatever.
note- this only works until they figure its cool to pick it up and carry it off.:) Then, I guess you'd go with Sharon's idea!
 
#28 ·
Get a tattle-tale tail! My oldest dog has always been a perfect angel in the house. No counter surfing, dumpster diving, chewing, messing, etc.etc.etc. Now that he is retired, he has decided its OK to break ALL the rules. Most of the time a quick "no" suffices if you catch him. But he has gotten sneaky lately and waits until we are out of sight. After Christmas dinner, we were in the living room listening to music. Our Chessie, Scout, (who was a notorious garbage thief in his youth) came roaring in growling and jumping! As soon as we stood up he tore off back to the kitchen. Indy was waist deep into the garbage searching out the beef rib bones! Talk about your well timed correction! I did sort of like Sharon's idea, but instead of trying to force a 70# adult lab into a plastic garbage can, I just shoved it all around his front end and wouldn't let him out for a few seconds. It was pretty funny, but not near as funny as the grin on Scout's face!
 
#29 ·
My personal favorite is still the mousetrap. Even with a small child, I wouldn't give up using this method when it is set up right:

Leave the garbage out with something smelling good inside and about 3/4 of the way to the top. Place a mouse trap on top of the garbage and under a lightly placed paper towel so they can't see it. Deliberately let the pup have at the can while you're out of sight or at least concealed. When he/she sticks their head over the top, the first bit of movement or pressure on the paper towel will release the trap and scare the pup enough to prevent them going near the garbage for a while.

-Maybe not as long as getting it snapped in paw or face without the towel covering it, but it will still leave a lasting impression.

It hasn't taken me more than an hour to hear the tell-tale "snap-yipe" when set up with the right bait.

Good luck
 
#30 ·
As for the pup if he's not 100% supervised (meaning tethered to you), he should be in his crate. This goes for both potty training and preventing bad things from happening, like eating something that puts him in the hospital, or worse.[/QUOTE]

I agree. An 11 week old pup should be either 100% engaged with you while playing/training, in his crate or tethered to your belt if you're doing busy work and want him out of his crate. Prevention. Not into scaring a baby (and that's what he is) or possibly causing harm with a mouse trap. House proof - we do it all the time for our children, why not pups?
 
#32 ·
Thanks for all the great info I guess I have been giving him a little bit more freedom then I should He is pretty good in the crate and I do actually have a puppy play pen area so that he is not in the crate all the time. HE is getting better at staying out of the garbage and I have just been telling him NO and redirecting him elsewhere. I have been letting him run free through the house as long as me or the wife is there. I see there is still a lot to learn and a lot of this early behavior stuff is hard to find anywhere. Thank you all
 
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